Every household moving company is going to have something that they will be unable to transport – most of them actually just work off of a list that is periodically updated as new things are passed down from the federal government.
We’re going to give you a complete rundown of things that your household moving company will not be able to ship, namely because it’s important to know what you can and cannot put on the back of a moving truck. These are not allowed for various reasons, most of which have to do with the fact that, under certain conditions, they can create a hazardous situation that can lead to explosions or noxious fumes or something equally unpleasant and/or death-inducing:
- Acids
- Aerosols
- Ammonia
- Ammunition
- Car Batteries
- Charcoal
- Charcoal Lighter Fluid
- Chemistry Sets
- Cleaning Solvents
- Darkroom Chemicals
- Fire Extinguisher
- Fireworks
- Gasoline
- Household Batteries
- Kerosene
- Lamp Oil
- Liquid Bleach
- Loaded Guns
- Matches
- Motor Oil
- Nail Polish
- Nail Polish Remover
- Paint Thinner
- Paints
- Pesticides
- Poisons
- Pool Chemicals
- Propane Tanks
- Gun Reloading Supplies
- Scuba Tanks
- Sterno
- Weed Killer
On the whole the list isn’t really that long, but notice how it includes a lot of things that you can find in most people’s gardening sheds, under their bathroom sink or on their back patio.
Some things, like poisons, propane tanks, loaded guns fireworks make sense, as these are things that, under the right conditions, can cause a serious and severe case of not-breathing in just about anyone, be it because of something insidious (poison) or something more…awesome (giant fireballs are great when it’s not all your worldly possessions fueling them).
However, some things are just kind of bizarre – scuba tanks? Paint? Nail Polish? It may seem odd, but these things can cause just the same amount of damage as what we know should be on the list, but under some different circumstances.
You never know when that box full of miscellaneous scuba gear, pain cans and your wife’s nail polish is going to shift in some weird way, and that could cause some problems down the line.
And even if it won’t, which it likely won’t, nail polish containers breaking all over the place just gets nail polish all over the place, including all your household goods, and that can be a real pain to get off. There are reasons why items are put on the non-allowable list, and of course things like houseplants, food and pets are included on the list.
If you have items of this nature that you need shipped (and you likely do), just take them with you. You can’t get in trouble for transporting your own stuff in your own vehicle, as you take all the risk onto yourself when doing so.
If you’re interested in transporting your household goods from one area to another, you can fill out our free online moving quote form at this page here, and get a free household quote right away. Need auto transport services? Visit our home page for access to our auto transport quote request form, which will get you a free quote to ship a vehicle as well as your household goods.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
- When to go with an Enclosed Transport - October 2, 2023
- Understanding California’s EV Mandate - August 1, 2023
- Top Reasons Auto Shippers Are Delayed - January 9, 2023